Used vehicles have always been a huge player in the automobile industry. When something as complex and high end as a vehicle is manufactured, it is expected to stay around for a long time, and companies are just now starting to tap into this potential. Toyota has long been leading the industry by creating reliable and long-lasting vehicles, and last week they reached a summit never before achieved by an automobile company.

Toyota sold their three millionth Certified Pre-Owned Toyota. These Used Toyota‘s aren’t just your run of the mill junker, however. Every CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) vehicle sold by Toyota has been rigorously tested, inspected, and refurbished to meet the highest of resale standards. The Toyota Parts are repaired, Toyota OEM Parts are replaced, or Toyota Accessories are added to make the CPO as functional as an out-of-the-box New Toyota.

From the press release on Toyota’s website, “The record-breaking sale came on the heels of a milestone year in 2010, when Toyota became the first single line nameplate to break the 300,000 mark for certified used sales. Unit sales of 315,418 in 2010 represented an increase of 18.6 percent over the previous year.”

The Lexus brand, one of the largest and most successful luxury lines in the world, was one of the first to develop it’s own CPO program. The vehicles being sold through the program are said HERE to be:

“Confidently Backed: For three years from your date of purchase or 100,000 total vehicle miles.”

The buyer of the three millionth Used Toyota CPO was a mother of 2 children in Chicago, IL. She was reimbursed for the exact amount she paid for the vehicle, and a matching donation from Toyota was sent to the NorthShore University HealthSystem Foundation.